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Confucius Institute

Welcome to the Confucius Institute at Northern State University! The Confucius Institute's purpose is to bring Chinese language and culture learning opportunities to the region, increase understanding, knowledge of and appreciation for the people and culture of China, and organize travel, scholarship and study exchanges.

Explore our culture center. Learn from a visiting scholar. Experience Chinese art and cultural performances. Even arrange to study in China. It's all here at the Confucius Institute at NSU. Students of all ages are welcome to enroll in Mandarin Chinese classes and attend Chinese cultural events on NSU's campus, in the Aberdeen community, and across South Dakota.

Mandarin Chinese classes

Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world; learning Mandarin Chinese offers a wealth of benefits. See below for all the ways you can learn Chinese through the Confucius Institute at NSU:

On NSU's campus

Online South Dakota high school dual credit

Center for Statewide E-learning - high school distance learning

Community classes in Aberdeen 

Children and youth after school classes in Aberdeen

At the University of Jinan, China

Get your passport and join the adventure! Each summer university and high school students who have completed a minimum of 20 hours of Chinese are eligible to travel to China for a two-week language and culture camp at the University of Jinan. Students travel with a Confucius Institute staff person, joining others from across the world who also have studied Mandarin through their local Confucius Institute.

The Confucius Institute Headquarters covers the in-country accommodations, travel and teaching fees. Students are responsible for costs associated with U.S. domestic and international flights to China, passport, visa and personal spending money during the study abroad experience.

A Chinese expert may be available to speak about China to your school or community group. We can present on a range of topics as well as demonstrate various traditional Chinese arts. We'll customize the presentation to your goals and audience. Please contact us directly at confucius@northern.edu.

Planning to travel to China? Browse through our collection of books about the major cities. Love Chinese cuisine? Check out a cookbook. Interested in Chinese novels, folklore, poetry, history, philosophy, religion and politics? We have a wide range of volumes on these and many other topics. The Chinese Culture Center offers visitors and borrowers a collection of more than 1,400 books on a range of topics and in a variety of languages, with new volumes scheduled to arrive each year. Here, you'll learn more about China through the Interactive Chinese Culture Learning Exhibit - a display of artifacts, traditional Chinese instruments and costumes of the Miao, a Chinese ethnic group. Spend some time with us, and bring a friend. Watch for updates and a calendar of events on Facebook.